The Autograph Man: A Novel - Hardcover

Smith, Zadie

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 037550186X ISBN 13: 9780375501869

Publisher: Random House Inc, 2002

Synopsis

Autograph trader Alex-Li Tandem embarks on a picaresque odyssey that takes him from London to New York in pursuit of the only autograph that has ever really mattered to him, dealing with mystical lore, con men, interfering rabbis, fellow collectors, and bonsai dealers that would hinder his quest. By the author of White Teeth. 100,000 first printing.

About this title

Review:

In her second novel, The Autograph Man, Zadie Smith has set herself the unenviable task of following up a certain segment of recent literary history. Her first novel, the bestselling, award-laden and much-hyped White Teeth wore its ambitions lightly: an exuberant comic foray into the lives of three disparate families living in suburban north London, it dealt simultaneously--and deftly--with wider multicultural and political motifs.

The Autograph Man has a similar ebullience and an equally dazzling panoply of characters. Its hero Alex Li-Tandem is "one of this generation who watch themselves", a Chinese-Jewish north Londoner who is first introduced as a child accompanying his father to a wrestling match between those two larger-than-life scions of 1970s Saturday afternoon television--Big Daddy and Giant Haystacks. When Alex's father dies in the pandemonium surrounding the pursuit of Big Daddy's autograph, the twin themes of the novel are launched--one is the bereaved Alex's search for a replacement to fill the gulf, the other his obsession with tracking down, buying and selling autographs. Alex seeks one autograph in particular and seemingly in vain--that of Kitty Alexander, a fading film star. The route he follows in his search has much to say about the nature of celebrity and the privacy of souls, of fantasy and reality--all narrated in Smith's breathless prose.

The Autograph Man plays on many strands and clever observations--in particular Jewishness, goyishness and Zen Buddhism. Smith is a superbly assured writer whose images stick in the mind; for example, Alex's girlfriend Esther has "hair plaited like a puzzle". The dialogue is vivid and there is much humour but at times the convoluted plot threatens to spill over into anarchy and the humour can be self-conscious. Though this does not diminish the entertainment value of The Autograph Man, it does--frustratingly--make it appear insincere. --Catherine Taylor

Review:

Intelligent. . . . exquisitely clever. . . . an ironic commentary about fame, mortality, and the triumph of image over reality. The Boston Globe
The same bracing intelligence and salty humor that distinguished her debut. . . . Smith scatters marvelous sentences and sharp insights on nearly every page. LA Times
A lovely surprise. Zadie Smith . . . has come out with a second book that is actually better than its predecessor: its dialog funnier, its language even more plugged in, more wired. Esquire

A preternaturally gifted . . . writer [with] a voice that s street-smart and learned, sassy and philosophical all at the same time. The New York Times

Savvy, witty and exuberant. New York Daily News

Smith is young and smart, and . . . she proves to be an amazingly gifted writer. Washington Post Book World
Smith writes sharp dialogue for every age and race and she s funny as hell. Newsweek
[Zadie Smith] possesses a more than ordinary share of talent. USA Today

Absolutely delightful. Alan Cheuse, Chicago Tribune
Smith s clever, aphoristic observations and snappy dialogue are so delightful they tend to become addictive. . . . [The Autograph Man is] always entertaining. Elle
"

"Intelligent. . . . exquisitely clever. . . . an ironic commentary about fame, mortality, and the triumph of image over reality." --The Boston Globe

"The same bracing intelligence and salty humor that distinguished her debut. . . . Smith scatters marvelous sentences and sharp insights on nearly every page." --LA Times

"A lovely surprise. Zadie Smith . . . has come out with a second book that is actually better than its predecessor: its dialog funnier, its language even more plugged in, more wired." --Esquire

"A preternaturally gifted . . . writer [with] a voice that's street-smart and learned, sassy and philosophical all at the same time." -The New York Times

"Savvy, witty and exuberant." -New York Daily News

"Smith is young and smart, and . . . she proves to be an amazingly gifted writer." -Washington Post Book World

"Smith writes sharp dialogue for every age and race-and she's funny as hell." -Newsweek

"[Zadie Smith] possesses a more than ordinary share of talent." -USA Today

"Absolutely delightful." -Alan Cheuse, Chicago Tribune

"Smith's clever, aphoristic observations and snappy dialogue are so delightful they tend to become addictive. . . . [The Autograph Man is] always entertaining." -Elle

About this edition

• Publisher: Random House Inc
• Publication date: 2002
• ISBN 10: 037550186X
• ISBN 13: 9780375501869
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 347